Worden & Foster Receive Life Improved Award Nominations

For many of our employees, caring for people with developmental disabilities is their job and a job they love to do, but for some caring for the developmentally disabled doesn't end at the end of their work day.

Heather Worden plays the keyboard with Joey.

Sandi-Jo Foster and Heather Worden are both DSPs at the Spruce Street IRA. They are both Life Improved Award nominees and they both have a family member who is developmentally disabled.

Both women were nominated by Carolynn Swanson, who noted that the experience they bring with them to work each day is invaluable.

Sandi-Jo Foster with Assitant Program Manager Karen Howie

'Sandy has a unique genuineness in her care for the residents. I feel she deserves this award because she truly cares about each resident's well-being," Ms. Swanson wrote. "She understands what it is like for a family to have a family member in this type of situation, as her son is autistic. When she does care for a resident, she treats them the way they deserve to be treated and the way she would want her own son to be cared for."

"Heather Worden also cares for the residents in a unique was as she also has a family member with developmental disabilities," Ms. Swanson wrote. "She always goes above and beyond her duties in order to assist in caring for the residents, regardless of whether or not it is her immediate responsibility. She is constantly helping other shifts with their responsibilities when no other staff member is willing to step up and she provides each resident with the respect and care that they deserve."

Howard Receives Life Improved Award Nomination

RiverLedge Administrator Tim Parsons with Stephanie Howard

In less than six months Stephanie Howard has been able to make an impression on her co-workers and the people we serve.

Madison Brossoit, who like Ms. Howard, is an RN at RiverLedge nominated her for the honor.

"Stephanie has only been with the company since October, but she has already made a positive impact," Ms. Brossoit wrote. "Stephanie has expert level critical thinking and communication skills that she uses daily. She has a personality that is contagious and is kind and caring daily to residents, residents' family members and to all staff."

In addition to working at RiverLedge, Ms. Howard is also continuing her education and working towards her bachelor's degree in nursing, but she never lets her busy schedule get in the way of caring for the residents and assisting her co-workers.

"She is always willing to help out  and goes out of her way to ensure that the residents are being taken care of and that staff is getting the assistance they need," Ms. Brossoit wrote. "She is always willing to stay over and pick up extra shifts. United Helpers is lucky to have an employee like her."

Welcome New Hires

 

RiverLedge

Destini Allen - Task Aide
Brittney Dixon - Task Aide
Jordan Durham - Task Aide
Cindy Fletcher - Task Aide
Heather Kiah - Task Aide
Kaitlin McCarthy - Task Aide
Aubrey O'Marah - Task Aide
Michelle Parker - Task Aide
Chelsie Rocker - Task Aide
Hunter Shaver - Task Aide
Lisa Winter - Task Aide
Paul Valois - Food Service Attendant

Maplewood

Patricia Kerr - Task Aide
Brittany Simmons - Task Aide
Ryan Dimock - Food Service Attendant

United Helpers Home Health Services

Lindsay Deshaw - Task Aide/Housekeeper

Chelsea McBain - Task Aide/Housekeeper

Spruce St. IRA

Danielle Noyes - DSP

Otis Receives Life Improved Award Nomination

From left, Amanda Otis with RiverLedge Administrator Tim Parsons

Working in health care and being tasked with caring for people's loved ones is not an easy job, but when it's done right and done with a smile, the families of the people we care for know their loved ones are in good hands.

And the ability to maintain that smile is just one reason, Amanda Otis was nominated for a Life Improved Award.

Sharlene Love, who nominated Ms. Otis wrote, "She is on duty every day per her schedule with a smile on her face and pleasant attitude."

Ms. Love also noted that Ms. Otis is able to communicate with family members and find out their wants and expectations.

"This gives her the ability to succeed in providing good quality care for the residents, while also pleasing their family members," she wrote.

Know Someone Looking for Work?

United Helpers’ Mosaic to Host Career Information Session

OGDENSBURG – If you ever thought about exploring a career in health care, United Helpers is about to offer the perfect opportunity! Get acquainted with entry-level and skilled positions that are currently available and learn more about opportunities for professional growth.

United Helpers’ Mosaic  will offer a Career Informational Sessions on Wednesday, April 6^th from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm  at the Gouverneur Recreation Center located at 3 Trinity Ave in Gouverneur, NY. This session is free and open to any job seeker. There are no appointments necessary.

United Helpers owns and/or manages more than 35 facilities located throughout St. Lawrence County and employs more than 1000 people. They offer services for people of all ages including specialized care and housing for older adults and people with developmental disabilities, mental health services, and comprehensive children’s services.

To learn more, visit online at www.UnitedHelpers.org or call the United Helpers Management Company at 393-3074. 

UH Employees! Spring into Action!

RULES:

 The 2013/2014/2015 monthly average kwh will be used as a guide and each month we will review the kwh used.

 For each month you go below your 3 year average your site 

 For each month your site goes 1-2% below your average you will earn 1 additional point.

 For each month your site goes greater than 2% below your average you will earn 2 bonus points.

At the end of every month the site with the highest point will be placed into a drawing to be drawn quarterly for a prize!

In December we will calculate the points and award a grand prize to the winning site.

** In the event of a tie, the sites with the highest points will be put into a drawing and drawn at random**

PRIZES TO BE ANNOUNCED!!

Please see your sustainability representative for additional information.

Simpson Receives Life Improved Award Nomination

Sara Simpson, a CNA at RiverLedge  was among the field of nominees for the latest round of Life Improved Awards.


Ms. Simpson was nominated by Staff Development Assistant Jennifer LaFlair, who wrote, "Sara Simpson is a CNA I used to work with a lot and she's very thorough with anything she does for the residents."

Ms. LaFlair also added that she feels Ms. Simpson is a CNA working for the right reasons.

"She is definitely here to make a difference in the residents' lives. She will always do the right thing even when no one is looking. She is a great person to work along."

Flackvile IRA Receives 2 Life Improved Award Nominations

Dani Barkley, Program Manager Matt McAllister and Nadine Apple

Two DSPS from the Flackville IRA in Heuvelton received nominations for the latest round of Life Improved Awards.

Both Danielle "Dani" Barkley and Nadine Apple were nominated for the honor.

Assistant Administrator Colleen Aldridge nominated Ms. Barkley, noting "Dani is a very positive influence and interacts well with residents and staff."

While she is a part-time employee, Ms. Aldridge said Ms. Barkley is willing to work any shift, including weekends.

"She saw one of the evening weekend shifts was struggling with leadership and guidance, so she went to the program manager and volunteered to change her shift," Ms. Aldridge wrote. "She has cross trained to other facilities when there was a need for DSP coverage and she is very patient with new employees. Her colleagues, especially new hires, say she is the go-to person on a shift."

Ms. Apple was nominated by LPN Joanne Lynch, who wrote that she "always has the resident's best interest at hear."

"She is an excellent med cert who comes up with great outings and is very creative," Ms. Lynch wrote.

Human Foosball! Save the Date!

Get ready folks! United Helpers will hold a Human Foosball Tournament on Saturday, June 4th at Montroy Park in Ogdensburg. Watch for details.

Baker Receives Life Improved Award Nomination

Sharon Baker with RiverLedge Administrator Tim Parsons

Being nominated for a Life Improved Award is an honor all in itself, but when one is nominated by a large group of their co-workers that speaks volumes about the quality of their work and their dedication to the United Helpers Life Improved mantra.

Bill LaFlair knew right away he wanted to nominate Sharon Baker, but before submitting his nomination he mentioned his plans to several other people. What he ended up submitting was a nomination that contained the names of 13 people.

"As I thought about my fellow workers and who I should nominate, Sharon's name immediately came to me," Mr. LaFlair wrote. "When I mentioned my plans to nominate Sharon several co-workers chimed in with positive comments and asked me to add their names to the nomination."

Some of those comments included, "Sharon makes sure work is done to HER high standards," "She is always willing to lend a hand to ANYONE in need" and "You can tell when Sharon is on vacation."

Summing up the nomination Mr. LaFlair wrote, "As you can see from the above comments Sharon goes above and beyond her regular duties for the residents and staff at RiverLedge. She takes great pride in her work and it does not go unnoticed."

Merrifield Receives Life Improved Nomintation

RiverLedge Administrator Tim Parsons with Bob Merrifield

When the words "true champion of the residents" are used to describe you, there is little doubt you're deserving of a Life Improved Award nomination.

That phrase was used by Adrienne Dannenberger when describing Bob Merrifield, an LPN in the Milligan Neighborhood at RiverLedge.

"Bob is professional, compassionate and a true champion of the residents," she wrote. "Bob understands dementia, which is a great quality to have in a nursing home and is able to diffuse potentially ugly situations."

Ms. Dannenberger continued, "His critical thinking skills make him a great problem solver and the residents benefit from this tremendously He is also very diligent in his job and his work sets a high bar for other staff on the unit.He is always willing to help where needed and he's a great addition to the Milligan team. I know the residents feel the same way."

Walrath Receives Life Improved Nomination

From left, Greg Walrath and Warren Bullock

IT Systems Administrator Greg Walrath was among the recipients of a Life Improved Award Nomination.

Nominated by his supervisor, Warren Bullock, Mr. Walrath has shown in just a short period of time to be a valuable member of the IT Team at United Helpers.

In his nomination, Mr. Bullock wrote, "Greg has been with the United Helpers organization for just over six months and he has already proved he is a great team member. Greg has a bright future with the organization and I'm excited to be part of his professional growth."

Giving several examples of Mr. Walrath's work, Mr. Bullock wrote, "The integration of technology in our Potsdam buildings has been a huge success because of Greg. We are also now able to explore new ideas and have great potential to add value to our web presence since Greg has joined our web team. I also get a sense for a great persistence to solve issues that are not easy to solve."

Mr. Bullock continued, "Greg is a very approachable, self-confident team member. He is not afraid to hold himself accountable and because of these characteristics there has been an overwhelming satisfaction from all of the departments and people he supports."

Welcome New Hires

 

Basta's Flowers & Gifts

Robert Wright - Landscape Operations Coordinator

Mosaic Day Hab

Joey Murdock - Housekeeper

Irish Settlement Road IRA

Pamela Fifield - DSP

McLear Receives Life Improved Honorable Mention

From left, William and Kari McLear

Kari McLear, a DSP at the Lisbon IRA, was recently nominated for a Winter 2016 Life Improved Award.

Ms. McLear was nominated by Brady Dullea, an assistant program manager, who used to work at the Lisbon IRA.

"When I think of the way that people should be treating residents, she is the first person to come to mind," Mr. Dullea wrote. "She is great with her job duties, but the reason she is deserving of this award is how she is with the residents."

Mr. Dullea continued, "She is always patient and she is always caring. All of the residents love her and it is because she treats them with kindness and respect."

And although, everyone has bad days, Mr. Dullea said Ms. McLear never lets such a day impact her interactions with the people we serve.

"Even on days where things might not be ideal for her, she never lets it effect the way she interacts, as she always wants to be the best for our residents," he wrote. "She creates a positive environment for the residents each and every day."

From left, Heather, Kari McLear & Sarah Truax

Runyan Receives Life Improved Honorable Mention

Mosaic Assistant Administrator Michelle McGaw with Wes Runyan

Our latest Life Improved nominee is Wes Runyan, an employee at the Renssealaer Falls IRA.

While Mr. Runyan is relatively new to Mosaic and United Helpers, it didn't take long for him to make an impact on his residents.

In his nomination of Mr. Runyan Andrew Hockenbery wrote, "He is always willing to help anyone and everyone to do something nice or needed for his residents. He does his best to create a positive work environment for his staff and has great personal relationships with his residents. There is never a question if he cares, it is truly evident."

Stage III Renovations Under Way at Mosaic Complex

The third stage of renovations at United Helper's Mosaic complex in Ogdensburg are underway.

The work, which is being done to the rear of the building, will convert vacant, open space into office space, which will allow Mosaic's administration to be housed there.

Mosaic Administration is currently housed at the Management Company building on Ford Street.

Renovations are expected to take several months, with a targeted completion date of Aug. 1.

Betsy Porter  takes a few whacks with the sledge hammer.

Bice & Glass Honored With Life Improved Awards

Front row, from left, Margo, Deb Bice and Robin Glass; back row, Mosaic Administrator Michele Montroy

Two of Mosaic's most dedicated employees were recently honored with Life Improved Awards.

Deb Bice and Day Services Coordinator Robin Glass were selected from a field of 28 nominees for the company-wide honor.

Ms. Bice, who was nominated by Ms. Glass is a DSP who works at the Mosaic Day Habilitation complex.

"Compassion, patience and understanding emanate from this employee," Ms. Glass wrote.  "She supports member involvement in activities from simple communication to active support in community service projects and all that lies in between."

Ms. Bice though isn't only dedicated to the people we serve.

"She helps to bond new employees with the members we service, knowing the likes and dislikes of our members and the key actions to build a bond of service between, whether a person of service or a teammate," Ms. Glass wrote. "She is a hard worker and dedicated to Mosaic. We're glad to have her as part of our work lives and in the lives of our members."

Ms. Glass, who works as the Day Services Coordinator was nominated by Assistant Administrator Colleen Aldridge, who noted that she too is also dedicated to both the employees of United Helpers and the people we serve.

"She gives her time tirelessly for the betterment of the residents we serve at Ogdensburg Day Hab," Ms. Aldridge wrote. "One of our Day Hab participants is unable to get out into the community, but for the Mosaic Prom, Flame concert and Pinewood Derby, Robin personally picked up this member with a Mosaic van to transport her to and from the events."

Ms. Aldridge even called her an "ambassador" for United Helpers events and efforts.

"She goes above and beyond to promote and participate in Employee Activity Team events, Sustainability events and activities and last but not least, Mosaic activities and events," she wrote. "You could not ask for a more devoted and dependable employee."